The Secret Password

Gratitude, I just can't give enough of this stuff!!  The more I live with an attitude of gratitude, the more grateful I am.  I've become one of those people that used to drive me crazy with their positive outlook and a reason to be grateful for anything.  I owe them an apology, I get it now... and I'm so grateful I do, lol!!!

 I may have told this story before, but I'll tell it again!!  When I was in second grade at St. Mary's Catholic school, I received my first communion.  We went through a class learning about the story behind what was happening and reminding us what a big deal it was.  I don't remember what exactly they taught us during that month or so, but I do remember one thing that I learned that changed my life.  My teacher told us when we pray to remember to say thank you to God for all the things he's already given us, rather than just asking all the time.  Now this may seem simple, but until that point I honestly don't think I had ever thought of saying thank you to God... He was just supposed to be my magic genie, answer my prayers and let me in heaven for being such a good girl.  Now that I knew this it changed the way I prayed and eventually how I viewed life.  I started adding thank you to all of my prayers in the beginning for everything I had, and in the end for listening to me!!  I was now grateful when my prayers were answered, rather than just glad!!  Saying thank you to life and to people is such a powerful tool!

Something bothering you?  You want something else in your life?  Well what are you thankful for??  Go ahead and say thank you for something right now and see how good it feels!  'Thank you,' is like the 'Open Sesame,' to the door of life's abundance... it's the secret password to unlocking joy!  It gives you access to all of the goodness and flow that exists!!  It's more than just a saying, it's an attitude... to really cultivate an attitude of gratitude where you can constantly feel it, will change your life!  It keeps you focused on all the good things, thus bringing more of that into your life!!  When you are grateful to others it makes them want to do more of whatever it is they are doing!  Being thankful welcomes you into a whole new way of seeing life... it prevents us from expecting things, and instead enables us to begin accepting things, with gratitude of course!!

So go ahead and say Thank YOU to life, and "YOU'RE WELCOME" to all it has to offer!!

Today's Silver Lining:

"Life's been so good to me, Has it been good to you, Has it been everything , That you expected it to be, Was it as good for you , As it was good for me, And was it everything, That it was all set up to be, (Now is that gratitude)" Gratitude- by Oingo Boingo

Have a Miraculous Day

"Good morning, This is God. I will be handling all of your problems today. I will not need your help, so have a miraculous day.”~ Wayne Dyer

Really?!  That's so sweet... Thank God for that!"  I mean, how great is that?!  I just think it's the best thing EVER!!  However, as spectacular as this is, it's still tough to remember sometimes.  Especially when I actually have things that need to be handled... but knowing it has changed my life.  Now "Thank God!" takes on a whole new meaning... like thanks for getting my back on that, you're awesome!!  I used to try to take care of my own problems a lot. Mostly by stressing out at what would happen rather than actually figuring out a plan... but for now I've decided to be grateful I have someone else to take care of things for me... and wouldn't ya know, I never even have to deal with my problems any more.  Just when I thought I saw one creeping up on me, a repair man came out of no where and got things all working perfectly before I even had a chance to worry.  So, Thanks God, now I'm gonna go have another miraculous day!

Today's Silver Lining:
"I welcome the sun, the clouds and rain, the wind that sweeps the sky clean, and lets the sun shine again. This is the most magnificent life has ever been.  Here is heaven and earth, and the brilliant sky in between.  Blessed is this life, and I'm gonna celebrate being alive.  Blessed is this life, and I'm gonna celebrate being alive."  Blessed- by Brett Dennen

Cha-cha-cha-chasing...

There's a great song by David Bowie called Changes. "Time can change me, but I can't chase time"... those were the words I'd been singing my whole life to this song!  Those are not the actual words, as I found out today, but they made sense to me... and as a matter of fact, they still do!  So many times in my life I've wanted things to happen... I've thought, "If I could just make_________ happen, then I could do __________," or, "As soon as I get________ then I can do _________." (In my thoughts those blank lines were filled in with whatever I was wanting to happen or get at the time, they weren't just empty, lol)  When I was 20, I thought as soon as I was 21 all my problems would be over... little did I know they'd just be beginning to get good, haha!

There are so many ways to chase time... and usually it involves running away from the present.  By living with our focus on the future, rushing it into existence, we ignore what is going on.  Now is not then... and then is where future thoughts exist... but then doesn't exist yet, so neither does the place we're chasing.  (that may take 2 reads, lol) One of my favorite quotes is courtesy of Mark Twain:

"There has been much tragedy in my life; at least half of it actually happened."

Gosh, soooo true.  It goes for triumphs as well!!  I know I am guilty of spending so much time worrying about things that never even happen and making plans that never play out, envisioning all the outcomes to my ideas... meanwhile time ticks on, changing me, while I chase it unsuccessfully with my thoughts, doing nothing with my now to develop it!  It's okay to have hopes and dreams for the future, to strive for things... but there's a fine line between following your dreams, and waiting for them to happen as you plan.

What I've found, is that when I am happy with what is, knowing what else I want, but not planning on an exact outcome... I always manage to stumble into my dreams in my now.  When I am open to seeing what will come, while being active in what's happening, things always happen, and as I change with things around me, it feels like it has all been planned perfectly!  The way they unfold may not be anything I had thought of, but it is always what I asked for!! 

When you're chasing time, you're so busy trying to keep up with it, you never really get a chance to know what it's like, hang out with it.  When you stop chasing time, you can hold hands with it, take longs walks on the beach, have candlelit dinners and cuddle... or whatever it is that you enjoy to do with your time!  Now that's the difference between chasing time and having a good time ;-)  (I'm all punned out, time to stop, hehe)

Today's Silver Lining:
"Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes, (turn and face the strain), Ch-ch-changes, Don’t want to be a richer man.  Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes, (turn and face the strain), Ch-ch-changes, Just gonna have to be a different man.  Time may change me, But I can’t trace time." Changes- by David Bowie

(which I used to think was pronounced, B-a-wowee, I still can't figure out where I got that...lol)

Fight, For You're Right

We all have dreams, some more than others... but they are pesky little things that keep showing up, whether we choose to pay attention or not.  We also have plans, ideas, and expectations about how we make our dreams come true.  Then there are those times where life takes over and things aren't happening as we dreamed they would...(pun intended!)  Things are tough, they don't make sense, how is anything we're doing now ever gonna get us to our dream?  This is when doubts set in, and we question if it's really worth it. 

Now it is these times that are our greatest blessings in disguise... if we decide it IS worth it... we fight, we won't give up, and each time we do this, we become recommitted to our dream!  If not, well, this is life's way of showing us that, and forcing us to let go and find something worth fighting for!  So many people with the biggest success stories, have volumes of their failures preceding them.  It takes passion, persistence and the will to keep fighting.  To really stay at the top of our game we need to let go of all the unnecessary residue in our lives so our passion can show through!  One of my favorite Chinese proverbs says:

“A gem cannot be polished without friction, nor a man perfected without trials.”

All those tests and struggles we keep facing, are life's way of keeping us polished, and while the dirt or things that no longer serve us go away, the gem or our truth shines brighter from these moments of friction!  When you truly believe in something, it's worth fighting for no matter what science, popular belief, or your parents may say... keep your sparkle twinkling!!!  We are all different gems, each with our own qualities to share.

So, in case you thought I messed up my, your/you're up there in the title, no...that's not a typo... I mean keep fighting, for you are right!



Today's Silver Lining:
"You thought by now you'd be, So much better than you are.  You thought by now they'd see, That you had come so far.  And the pride inside their eyes, Would synchronize into a love you've never known, So much more than you've been shown.  Hold on, One more time with feeling, Try it again, Breathing's just a rhythm, Say it in your mind, Until you know that the words are right.  This is, why we, fight, This is, why, we fight."  One More Time With Feeling- by Regina Spektor

Go Make Something :-)

I've been talking to a lot of friends lately with the same problem... everyone feels stuck.  They feel like they need to change, try something new, feel unstuck... but there is something else I notice.  Everyone is so afraid if they do anything new, they'll make a mistake!  Well, I have an opinion on that, but I think it was put best by Elbert Hubbard when he said:

"The greatest mistake you can make in life is to be continually fearing you will make one."

Many of us have been trained to strive for the top prize in life, to do as we're told... but we were never told about how many times we'd have to fall down, and lose to get there.  It seems like making a mistake is this big bad scary monster, it's such an overwhelming fear; until we make one, and realize... oh wow, that actually worked out quite nicely!!

“Take chances, make mistakes. That's how you grow. Pain nourishes your courage. You have to fail in order to practice being brave."~ Mary Tyler Moore

We are all beginners at something, and if you think you're too old to start something new, or too skilled... lol... than now is the perfect time for you to go ahead and try that thing you've always wanted.  So what is it that you're just itching to do?  Do you even know?  Well you don't have to!! No matter what you answer to these questions, one way to discover something... is to try anything. 

"A man's errors are his portals of discovery."~ James Joyce

YES!  When you try something, you take action, you're already succeeding because you now took a thought and made it real!  So what if you've already tried and made a mistake... so what if you've struggled at something for years...

"Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try Again. Fail again. Fail better."~Samuel Beckett

Go ahead!!  I was talking to someone today and I realized how much I value my mistakes now, they have become my roadsigns... Don't date him, eat less, read more, watch your head!!   Every Time I make a mistake, I realize I'm learning something new... and then I usually laugh at myself!  If you don't limit your reality by what you are told... I won't be able to do this unless I have that, or I can't do that because I don't know how... than anything you imagine becomes doable.  Yes... even making mistakes!!  There is a proverb that says,

“If you don't make mistakes, you don't make anything.”

So, looks like there's nothing to lose and everything to make!!!

Today's Silver Lining:
"Who is to say who wins or who loses?  I sing to myself at the end of the day when I know what the blues is, And all my mistakes have become masterpieces.  I was born in the goodness of grace.  And because of faith, because of courage, because of forgiveness, All my mistakes have become masterpieces."  All My Mistakes- by Teitur

 

Wisdom: Step One

When I sat down to write today, I had one idea in mind, wisdom.  Simple. Well, that's where I got some true experience in what wisdom really is!!  As I began to write, I found one thing kept leading me to question the next.  As I sat and took a look at wisdom, I had to question knowledge...

Knowledge: n.- acquaintance with facts, truths, or principles, as from study or investigation; general erudition; the sum of what is known; the fact or state of knowing; the perception of fact or truth; awareness, as of a fact or circumstance.

So, there you have it... the knowledge of what knowledge is known as :-)  Now, learning that what I found interesting, is that not one place in it's definition did it state that knowledge is the truth.  So that lead me to wonder, what exactly is...

Truth: n.- the true or actual state of a matter; conformity with fact or reality; a verified or indisputable fact, proposition, principle, or the like.

And of course that lead me to ask, what is a...

Fact: n.- something that actually exists; reality; truth.

Ok, well there's that word reality again, so I had to know...

Reality: n- the state or quality of being real;a real thing or fact.

Then, this is where I found something that really jumped out at me...

Reality: n.-Philosophy
a. that which exists, independent of human awareness
b. the totality of facts as they are independent of human awareness
 

I have to go back into my knowledge vault for a moment and question that. What about the theory that our thoughts create our reality... isn't our thought part of our...

 awareness n.- having knowledge of

Well that brings me back to knowledge again... so I have to reference back to my source:

Simply stated, we create the world we live in by our thoughts and beliefs. Our experience of life is created directly by the way we think. Thoughts and words are powerful living entities. Creation is made first by a thought. God once decided to create the world of matter. First came the thought. Then by speaking, God made manifest the thought - "Let There Be Light".

So now I see a connection!!!  If God made manifest by doing, then it brings me to:


  Wisdom: the quality or state of being wise; knowledge of what is true or right coupled with just judgment as to action; sagacity, discernment, or insight.



That gets me back to wisdom, but I still have more questions!! Which is where I utilize my knowledge:

"One's first step in wisdom is to question everything - and one's last is to come to terms with everything."- Lichtenberg

Step one... check, check, check!!!  Now, it's time to keep on walking!!



Today's Silver Lining:

"The lips of the righteous teach many, But fools die for want of wisdom.  The rich man wealth is in his city; Do you hear, do you hear, can you understa-and?!  Destruction of the poor, is poverty; destruction of the soul, is vanity.  The righteous' wealth is in his Holy Pla-ace.  Do you hear?  Those who have eyes, to see will see!"  Wisdom- by Bob Marley 

The Breath of Life

 Breath.  It's all we really need... Well, that and maybe a couple of other things, like water and computers... hehe... but it's the main thing.  It's always with there... Me and breath, til death do we part.:-)  Our seldom acknowledged in and outs of life... literally.  Breathing is what keeps us alive, helps us calm down, and prevents us from staying underwater for too long... It is one of the few things we can trust ourselves to do without too much thought or effort.  Here is a great quote, since I'm always using other peoples words to get my points across and save my breath : )...

“. . . see without looking, . . . hear without listening, . . . breathe without asking.” W. H. Auden

I love that.  So simple.  All these things that we can just do... that sometimes we force, but when we experience them as they happen, are just perfect.  Breathing.  It is such an easy thing to forget about, even while you're doing it, and yet if we weren't breathing, boy would we miss it!  Just like I missed adding another quote... so here's another goodie:

“A man who has to be convinced to act before he acts is not a man of action. You must act as you breathe.” George Clemenceau

I hate to be redundant, but... I love it!!  Imagine if acting on an idea was as easy as taking a breath in, and producing a result was easy as an exhale... well... drumrolllllllll..... IT IS!!  The only thing that prevents us from allowing things into action is our thought about them.  We don't judge our breath, (well most of the time), thinking it's to long to last, or too shallow to make it through the day.  We just do it. Wait a minute... so that means if we act like we breathe, then to act, all we need to remember... is to just do it.  Wow, I've written that before, and I'll write it again... Just. Do. It.  Makes sense, now huh??!!!  Ahhhhhhh...(exhale!)

Our breath is what keeps us active and all we have to do is just go with it.  Just like a car has to be running to go anywhere, we have to be breathing... then the possibilities are endless!!  Once we're turned on we can go wherever we want, we simply pick a place, and go there... or drive around for a while enjoying the ride, the music, and the scenery until we end up somewhere we love! 

So just breathe... inhale as you smile at how easy it is, and exhale, knowing that you now have all you need to "just do" anything... as long as you keep breathing!!!

Today's Silver Lining:

"There's a light at each end of this tunnel, You shout 'cause you're just as far in as you'll ever be out, And these mistakes you've made, you'll just make them again, If you only try turning around. 2 AM and I'm still awake, writing a song, If I get it all down on paper, it's no longer inside of me, Threatening the life it belongs to, And I feel like I'm naked in front, of the crowd, Cause these words are my diary, screaming out loud, And I know that you'll use them, however you want to, But you can't jump the track, we're like cars on a cable, And life's like an hourglass, glued to the table, No one can find the rewind button now, Sing it if you understand... and breathe, just breathe" Breathe (2am.)- by Anna Nalick